You’re engaged! Congratulations! Now, it’s time to celebrate. Plan a fabulous engagement party with these simple tips…

Schedule It Soon: The point of an engagement party is to celebrate your engagement, so don’t wait too long to plan the festivities. The engagement party should be held relatively soon after the proposal, within a few weeks or months. Just make sure the party is scheduled closer to your proposal than to your wedding day.

Spread the Word: The guest list can be as big or small as you want it, but one rule of thumb applies: anyone invited to the engagement party should also be invited to the wedding. Invites can be as casual or formal as you prefer too. An evite, word-of-mouth invite, or formal invitation is acceptable, depending on the overall theme of the day.

Choose a Theme: The engagement party’s theme and décor should be different than the wedding. This is your chance to have a little fun. Plan a beach BBQ or fall festival, or opt for a dreamy romantic evening outside. You definitely don’t want the engagement party to outshine the wedding, but it can be its own unique and inspired event.

Arrange the Food: Since the party can be as informal or formal as you choose, there is no set rule about food. If you’re hosting a lavish affair and money isn’t an issue, plan a nice dinner for your guests. Otherwise, it’s totally reasonable to serve hors d’oeuvres, gather for brunch, or simply have a dessert bar.

Have fun: The party is supposed to be a celebration of your engagement so don’t be afraid to have fun! Plan some interesting and exciting activities for your guests, such as games or dancing with a Chicago Wedding DJ.

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[…] Engagement Party Basics November 1, 2011 By Chicago Wedding Blog Leave a Comment ShareTweetYou’re engaged! Congratulations! Now, let’s celebrate. The engagement party, while not an absolutely necessity by any means, is a fun and relaxed way to kick off the wedding festivities early. Here’s a quick overview on the engagement party essentials… […]